Numerous types of window coverings are now being sold in a variety of outlets. Window coverings of the type with which the present invention is concerned include, mini blinds and vertical blinds, as opposed to draperies and curtains which may be sold in the same outlets but which involve different sizing requirements.
Blinds and window coverings are available in a variety of materials. Venetian blinds are available in which the head and bottom rails are formed of aluminum steel, and in which the slats are formed in most cases of sheet steel or aluminum. In other cases the components can be formed of other materials such as thermoplastics.
Also, blinds are available that are formed of fabric, and are folded into pleats, the fabric being secured usually at the top to a head rail typically made of steel. Bottom rails are formed on some blinds of steel and on other blinds of other materials.
Such blinds must be fitted to the width, or in some cases the height, of the window or other opening for which they are intended. In the past blinds have been made in a factory, on a custom basis to a particular width specified by the purchaser. A salesperson would usually have had to call on the customer and take an order. However, it is more convenient to manufacture blinds and other window coverings in certain standard widths, and stock these standard widths in a retail store. A customer may then simply come into the store and buy a blind slightly wider than the desired width (or longer than the height) and have it trimmed at the ends to the desired width (or height). This is both more economical, and thus more readily saleable, and at the same time provides the customer with an opportunity to purchase blinds in a retail establishment and walk out of the store with them in his possession, rather than meeting a salesperson at home, and waiting a few weeks for them to be fabricated in a factory.
In the past, various apparati have been designed for cutting down widths of blinds of specific designs and specific materials. However, in general terms, these machines have not been completely suitable for cutting down blinds of a variety of different materials.
In addition to these factors, blinds and window coverings are also available in which blind slats are suspended vertically from a head rail. These blind slats may be drawn to one side or the other of the window opening, or in some cases to both sides, and may be rotated between open and closed positions, by a mechanism located in the head rail. Again, these blinds usually required a sales call, at the home, followed by custom fabrication in a factory.
Advantageously, these blinds are now provided in standard widths in a retail store and an apparatus is known for cutting down the width of the head rail and also the lengths of the vertical slats in the store. One such apparatus is described below. Preferably, in order to economize in-store installations of cut-down equipment and also to simplify instruction of staff, a single cut-down machine is used, which enables a greater variety of different types of blinds to be cut down to the desired width (or height).
One of the considerations in designing such a multi-purpose cut-down machine is the manual effort that is required to operate the machine to cut through the various different materials.
Clearly, material used in head rails, is relatively hard to cut. On the other hand, since the head rail sections used in this type of product are relatively thin, the die for cutting the metal or plastic components of the blind may only be required to move a short distance.
Consequently, so long as adequate leverage is provided to move the steel cutting die a relatively short distance, this problem can be addressed.
On the other hand, the cutting of the blind slats themselves presents entirely different problems. The slats are usually made of relatively soft material which is easy to cut, and requires less manual effort. On the other hand, the thickness of all of the blind slats when bundled together for cutting is considerable. Consequently, the die for cutting the blind slats must move a considerable distance.
The complexity of the design is further aggravated by the fact that the head rail is located at the head of the blind and the bottom rail is located at the bottom rail of the blind, both usually made of steel, and the blind slats or blind fabric are located between the head rail and the bottom rail. Consequently, when trimming the blind it is necessary to provide cutting dies for cutting both the head rail and the bottom rail, which are spaced apart from one another, and for substantially simultaneously cutting the blind slats or blind fabric (referred to herein as closure “closure elements”) located between the head rail and bottom rail. It will of course be appreciated that in the case of horizontal, i.e. Venetian blinds or fabric blinds, all of these cuts must be made in a common plane, so as to provide a uniform end trimming function on the blind. Even for vertical blinds, the vertical blind slats must be trimmed, along their lower ends, by cutting all the slat ends along a common plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,134 ('134) issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited discloses a manually operable multi-purpose blind cutdown apparatus for cutting a blind having at least a head rail component, and closure elements suspended from the head rail, and comprising a blind holding plate having at least a blind component opening and a closure element opening formed therein for receiving respective components and elements of a blind there through, and holding them into position for cutting, a closure element cutting bar moveable relative to said holding plate (and defining an opening), and carrying closure element cutting means for cutting blind closure elements extending through said holding plate, a cutting die plate adjacent to said cutting bar, said cutting die plate carrying at least one cutting die for receiving said blind at least one component there through, and being moveable relative to said holding plate for cutting at least one said component, and wherein said cutting die on said cutting die plate extends through said opening formed in said closure element cutting bar, and including movement means for moving said closure element cutting bar and said cutting die plate substantially simultaneously, whereby both said closure elements and said blind components may be cut substantially simultaneously along the surface of said holding plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,9196,099, issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited discloses an apparatus for trimming the width of blinds of the type having a head rail, and a bottom rail, and a plurality of blind slats, each having a predetermined profile, and comprising, a support body, said body defining a head rail opening, and a bottom rail opening, and blind slat opening means, in which the recesses and opening means are aligned along a common, horizontal axis, respective said blind components being insertable into respective said openings from one side of said support body, a die plate means located on the other side of said support body, a head rail cutting recess in said die plate means, guide means on said support body for movably supporting said die plate means, said guide means defining a predetermined movement axis, whereby said die plate can move relative to said head rail opening in said support body between two positions, a first position in which said support body opening and said die plate cutting recess are in alignment with one another, and a second position in which said cutting recess is out of alignment with said opening, and, means for moving said die plate means, between said two positions, and further having a bottom rail and blind slat cutter means moveable along a horizontal axis and means for moving said cutter means to cut said bottom rail and said blind slats. The die plate movement axis is substantially diagonal to said axes of said openings and said recesses; is in order to achieve the mechanical advantage of beginning to cut at the corner of the head rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,388, also issued to Shade-O-Matic Limited, describes a blind cutdown apparatus for cutting and sawing a blind having at least a head rail component of thin material, and blind slats of thicker material suspended from the head rail, and comprising a blind holding plate having at least a head rail opening and a slat opening formed therein for receiving respective components of a blind there through, and holding them in position for cutting, a slat cutting saw moveable relative to said holding plate, for cutting blind slats extending through said holding plate, a cutting die holder adjacent to said cutting saw, said cutting die holder carrying at least one cutting die for receiving said head rail there through, and being moveable relative to said holding plate for cutting said head rail, and including movement means for moving said cutting saw and said cutting die holder substantially simultaneously, whereby both said blind slats and said head rail may be cut substantially simultaneously and in a common plane along the surface of said holding plate. The invention further provides such an apparatus and further having a saw blade guide attached to said holding plate and said saw blade being moveable there along relative to said holding plate.
In certain applications, the manual pressure that is required to operate a multi-purpose blind cutting apparatus, such as the type described in '134 in particular, can be quite significant. What is required is a multi-purpose blind cutting apparatus that addresses the aforesaid design issues and that includes a drive mechanism, as well as a relatively simple structure that nonetheless permits the cutting of window covering components. In addition, a multi-purpose blind-cutting apparatus with a driving means is desired that achieves the aforesaid objectives, and that is relatively easy to manufacture and to operate. A particular structure for a multi-purpose blinding cutting apparatus including a driving apparatus is also required that does not place undue stress on the drive mechanism and/or it requires a relatively inexpensive and low energy drive mechanism.
Ease of operation is a significant issue in that otherwise the training costs required to enable in-store operation might be prohibitive. Also, ease of operation is also important to ensure that personnel operating blind cutting apparatus can size blinds relatively quickly, thereby also minimizing customer wait times, and reducing the number of personnel required to operate the apparatus, and also the number of apparati required in each store. There is also a need for a window covering sizing system having a driving means that takes relatively little place, which is a desirable characteristic in a retail environment.
Furthermore, there is a need to provide cutting dies which are relatively easy to manufacture less costly to produce and less bulky and more light weight.